Definitely Dylan

In this episode, Laura revisits a radio episode from September of 2018, all about Bob Dylan's relationship to the truth, and his different attempts to define, grasp, or circumscribe it. You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan .

A conversation with Britt Eisnor about the recent Outlaw Festival shows and more. Follow Britt on Instagram . You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan . Songs that appear in the episode: “Desolation Row” (Buffalo, NY, 17 September, 2024) “Love Sick” (Mountain View, CA, 3 August, 2024) “Cold, Cold Heart” (Hank Williams cover, Alphare...

A new podcast reconsiders the legacy of female singer songwriters that have all at one point been dubbed “the Female Bob Dylan”. Laura talks to its creators, Sophie Abramowitz, Sarah Bachman, and Emily Hilliard. Find The Female Bob Dylan on the podcast app of your choice, and follow them on Instagram and Twitter/X . You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeaco...

This is a slightly updated version of the first ever Definitely Dylan episode, which aired on Resonance. FM in January of 2018. You can find a version with the full length songs over on Patreon , where I will also be revisiting other radio episodes in the future, so follow along if you're interested in hearing more! In this episode: 1. Forever Young 2. Subterranean Homesick Blues 3. It’s Alright M...

Today’s episode is a story. Songs that appear in the episode: “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (More Greatest Hits) “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (demo, Another Self Portrait)“When I Paint My Masterpiece” - The Band (Cahoots) “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (demo, Another Self Portrait) “When I Paint My Masterpiece” (Live at Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA, 20 November, 1975) “When I Paint My Mas...

“Life is short even on its longest days”, Bob Dylan sang in Indianapolis, covering John Cougar Mellencamp. But a year is pretty long, so I invited Rebecca Slaman to do a recap with me. We talk about the releases, live shows, and our general highlights of 2023. Check out Rebecca’s PhilosopHER of Modern Song series on her Substack . Find the extended version of our conversation on Patreon! You can s...

In this episode, Laura talks to the one and only Chan Marshall (Cat Power) about her project of recreating Bob Dylan’s iconic 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert. In our conversation about art, love, and resilience, she shares stories about meeting Bob Dylan, how she first got into his music, and which song makes her feel empowered. Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert is out now o...

In this episode, Laura talks to Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, the authors of Mixing Up the Medicine, the 600 page “inside-out biography” that tells the story of Bob Dylan’s career through pieces from the Bob Dylan Archive. Buy the book at your local bookshop (or check it out at your local library – it’s unfortunately pretty pricey). Music by Robert Chaney. You can listen to the full Beatles boo...

In this episode Laura talks to writer and friend of the pod Rebecca Slaman about Bob Dylan’s surprise appearance at this year’s Farm Aid, where we played a short set with the Heartbreakers. Here’s a fun fact I only figured out after the episode was finished: the song that preceded Dylan’s remarks about American farmers during Live Aid was in fact The Ballad of Hollis Brown! I erroneously said that...

In this episode, Laura welcomes back Harry Hew for a conversation about Sinéad O’Connor’s open letters to Bob Dylan. A quick note – after converting to Islam in 2018, she adopted the name Shuhada’ Sadaquat, but since she continued to work under her birth name, we refer to her as Sinéad O’Connor in this episode. Head over here to read all the letters Sinéad O’Connor wrote to Bob Dylan. Thank you to...

In the light of Robbie Robertson's recent passing, I really wanted to have a conversation about this artist whose life not just ran alongside Dylan's a decade, but converged for crucial periods of both their careers. So I asked the biggest The Band fan I know, my Canadian friend Harry Hew, to jump on a call and talk to me. One note: I make a reference to "Dominique", and thought I should clarify t...

In this episode, Laura and Rebecca talk about the ladies, babies, mamas, girls, and many many queens that inhabit Bob Dylan’s songs. Subscribe to Rebecca’s Substack , and watch her Tulsa paper here . You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

TW: murder, suicide, racial violence When Bob Dylan began his career, murder ballads were having a bit of a moment. In this episode, we’ll look into the influence these songs had on the young artist, and how they inspired a particular subset of his own early songs. You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan .

No other Bob Dylan song has provoked such a diverse range of responses as "Make You Feel My Love". Initially dismissed by reviewers as a failure, it has since grown into a wildly successful pop hit. It's the song that's loved by the masses, but hated by Dylan purists. Perhaps what's at the heart of this fundamental disagreement is a different question altogether: is this a banal love song, or does...

Laura and James A. Smith from The Popular Show have a late night conversation about the Bootleg Series and Time Out of Mind Watch the video of our conversation on Patreon , where you can also show your support for the podcast, or you can make a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan . Consider supporting The Popular Show at patreon.com/thepopularpod .

Laura and Robert talk about Bob Dylan's new Bootleg Series, what it tells us about Time Out of Mind, and whether or not accordions can be sexy. You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan . Graley Herren’s book Dreams and Dialogues in Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" is available here . Listen to the interview with Mark Howard on the Dylan.f...

Stories, myths, and narratives – as the Bob Dylan Center opened this May, another Bob Dylan exhibition was coming to a close. What stories are these two Dylan museums telling & what do they reveal about how Bob Dylan wants to be seen? In part two of this series on the crafting of Bob Dylan's legacy, we take a look at the stories told by two very different museums dedicated to Bob Dylan's work:...

This is the first of two conversations about the crafting of Bob Dylan’s legacy. My guest is freelance writer Rebecca Slaman. Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @ithrewtheglass . The version of “Desolation Row” is from 12 April, 2009 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. You can watch it in full along with others from that year here . You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation . For more...

The pandemic forced Bob Dylan to take a two year break from performing live. Now he’s back and he’s embarked on the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour. I was lucky to be able to fly from London to Washington, DC to catch the last show of the year on 2nd December, 2021. In this episode, I’m giving you my thoughts on the performances, the setlist, and how this tour relates to the latest album and...

In this episode, Laura considers Shadow Kingdom in the context of Bob Dylan’s career and what it tells us about the artist at 80 years old. We’ll touch on Dylan’s relationship with the past, the language of dreams, and we’ll find out what all of this has to do with Shakespeare. You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation . For more information, see http://definitelydylan...

For this episode, we’re going to take a little break from the series on Rough And Rowdy Ways ! I want to take you on a journey towards the heart of one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs of all time: “Most Of The Time” from Dylan’s 1989 album Oh Mercy . Deceptively simple, this song about pain and denial is wonderfully subtle in its development of the singer’s feelings, while also playing with the li...

In Chapter 2 of Definitely Dylan’s mini series on Bob Dylan’s Rough And Rowdy Ways, Laura discusses the myth and mystery of creation in “My Own Version Of You” and “Mother Of Muses”.What insight can these very different songs give us into the creative process of the songwriter? How do they portray the creator’s role in society? And what does any of this have to do with the Nobel medal? Here's the...

On the 19th of June, 2020, Bob Dylan released his 39th studio album, Rough And Rowdy Ways, his first collection of original songs in eight years. In the first chapter of this Definitely Dylan mini-series, Laura begins her exploration of the new album by going back to Dylan’s 2016 Nobel win. What’s the difference between songs and literature? Who’s the secret hero of Rough And Rowdy Ways? And what...

This month, the Australian, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Emma Swift releases her album of Bob Dylan cover songs, Blonde On The Tracks. In our conversation, Emma tells me about the story behind the album, how she came up with the song selection, the advantages of singing Dylan as a woman, and the autobiographical dimension of cover songs. You can listen to and order your copy of Blonde On The...

On Friday 19 June, Bob Dylan releases Rough and Rowdy Ways, his first album of original songs in eight years. Here's all the info you need to know to bring you up to speed on the whats, the whys, and the whos. Here is the link to the Dylan interview with Douglas Brinkley in the New York Times. Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon , where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and m...